Sep 26 Freelance // How Finding Small Ways To Say "Thank You" Can Make a Big Difference

I love getting mail. It's one of my most favorite things, right up there with surprise parties, babies dressed up as old people, and movie theater popcorn. Mail is fantastic for a lot of reasons. Nowadays, I feel like it's harder and harder to be surprised by something. Everything in our lives is on a schedule. We know when to expect what. Mail is something unexpected. It's also a lot more tedious to visit the Post Office than it is to send an email or a text message or post on my Facebook wall. When I get mail, it means that you did something that probably mildly annoyed you in the interest of brightening my day. That's pretty cool.

So, I thought that I might come up with a small way to say "thank you" to my custom design clients that would make them feel equally special, and to reinforce the fact that I'm a human being, not a corporation. I wanted to make them personal, cute, and a little silly. These little "thank you" boxes are not just an extension of my personality, but an extension of my branding. Everything from the thank-you card to the tissue paper fits in with HMC's design scheme.

My "Relax, Honey" boxes include:

- A branded, two-sided square flyer (printed by Moo.com) which reads on the front, "Relax, the hard part is over, honey." On the back is a note which thanks them for working with me, and encourages them to "roll on the stress relief," and uncork a bottle of wine because, hey, they deserve it!

- A small jar of local Tennessee Trubee honey. (Get it? "Relax, honey?") Honey is one of my absolute must-haves, and adds a personal touch to the box. It also looks lovely in there against the chartreuse paper.

These packages cost about $25 to assemble and ship. I usually reserve them for larger budget jobs and/or clients that I would truly like to work with again. But even the small jobs will get a thank-you note in the mail, at least.

If you're thinking about creating your own thank-you packages, here are some things to think about:

- What is my brand all about? Is it serious? Feminine? Silly? Traditional? Try and come up with a "theme" or idea for your packages that will fit your brand. If you're a floral designer, maybe fill the box with petals, or send a package of flower seeds and a small pot to plant them in. If you're a calligrapher, maybe a starter calligraphy kit, or a calligraphed, personalized handkerchief. Something that doesn't cost much, but means something.

- Who are your clients? What might they be excited to receive? My clients are mainly females, but I do have some male clients, so I nixed ideas like chartreuse nail polish or perfume and kept ones that felt personal but gender-neutral.

- Are you the face of your brand? As freelancers, a lot of the time we, personally, have a lot to do with the brand of our business. We have blogs and instagram feeds, and most of our clients know a bit about us before they work with us. If this sounds like you, maybe consider things that you personally use often. Your favorite fragrance, notebook, lotion, candle... your favorite hot sauce, for Pete's sake. It could be literally anything, as long as it communicates "Hey, I got you something that I thought you'd like that I like, too." (Just make sure you're not sending anything that could break, or cause an allergic reaction!)

If you have a personalized thank-you gesture, card, or package, I wanna hear about it in the comments below!